Thierry Barnerat, video analyst for Thibaut Courtois at Real Madrid, praised Lucas Chevalier’s (23) early performances with Paris Saint-Germain during After Foot on RMC Sport. The Swiss expert described PSG’s new goalkeeper as “an extra outfield player,” already key in the team’s build-up play and distribution — though still with room to grow in his decision-making.
Barnerat: “I think he’s good.”
“I think he’s good. Chevalier touches a huge number of balls — he’s really the eleventh outfield player. He constantly creates numerical superiority, in every match, including his debut against Tottenham, even though he’d only had a few days of training with the team. You didn’t see that before (with Donnarumma). It’s an incredible plus.”
Barnerat: “At Lille, he had more to do — it was easier to stay in the game.”
“That’s the coach’s intent. What’s different for Chevalier now is that at Lille, he was more involved, so it was easier to stay focused. Today, he has fewer saves to make, but he’s heavily involved in the attacking build-up (…) Against Tottenham, he made one mistake, but then he was decisive in the penalty shootout.”
Barnerat: “You have to look at when he can be decisive.”
“When people say he didn’t do his job against Barcelona, that’s a very poor analysis. You have to look at when he can actually be decisive. That’s where we should judge him. But it’s still too early to evaluate his decision-making consistency. We’ll be able to make that assessment around late November — there haven’t been enough situations yet.”
It will take time to fully measure Lucas Chevalier’s impact at PSG.
As Barnerat reminded, judging a goalkeeper after just a few weeks in such a structured club would be a mistake. Paris didn’t recruit him for spectacular saves, but for his ability to reshape the team’s style of play.
Chevalier is not merely the last line of defense — he’s a technical and tactical asset, an initiator of actions. This requires new habits, a refined understanding of defenders’ positioning, and total trust in the collective plan.
At Lille, he lived in reaction; in Paris, he must learn to manage calm, control tempo, and stay alert during long stretches without action. His progress won’t show in the number of saves, but in the fluidity and control of PSG’s build-up play.
Time and patience will be his best allies.
